The heat is on: Nature's Air-Conditioned City sweating in high temps

Jun. 15—BLUEFIELD — If the 90-degree mark is reached this week, today would be the best bet.

According the National Weather Service (NWS) in Blacksburg, the high temperature in Bluefield today could reach 88 degrees, so the heat wave may not quite hit 90 degrees.

That is significant, of course, because the Chamber of Commerce of the Two Virginias has traditionally given free lemonade to everyone the day after that mark is reached.

But it has to hit 90 at the official temperature gauge at the Mercer County Airport, where the NWS collects its statistics.

That hasn't happened since 2019 and before then in 2013, so it is a relatively infrequent occurrence in "Nature's Air-Conditioned City."

In 2019, the mark was reached on Sept. 11.

Bluefield's nickname as the Air-Conditioned City dates back to the 1930s when the city was given the name by H. Edward Steele.

After the name was coined and the idea of offering free lemonade began, it quickly became an event that residents looked forward to.

Despite the six-year gap of the last Lemonade Day in 2013, the sweet event has come in abundance in years past, with 2007 the record for the most lemonade days with a whopping 18 days.

In 1988 the record high for Bluefield was set at 96 degrees, according to WeatherBase.com.

The NWS predicted hot and humid conditions this week with thunderstorms, and that was the case Monday night as they rolled across the area, with a 30 percent chance of more storms today.

After today, high temperatures are predicted to drop off a bit, with 85 on Thursday and 83 on Friday, with a chance of showers and thunderstorms throughout.

A cooldown is forecast for this weekend by the National Weather Service, with lows in the 50s and highs in the 70s with mostly sunny skies through Monday.

— Contact Charles Boothe at cboothe@bdtonline.com

Contact Charles Boothe at cboothe@bdtonline.com